US-India Business Council Applauds House For Approving Pro-India Defence Amendment

Washington: Business advocacy group USIBC has applauded the US House of Representative for approving pro-India amendments to a defence bill which would bolster bilateral defence ties on par with that of US' other NATO allies in terms of sale of weapons and technology transfer.

The amendment which institutionalises the US government's focus on the US-India security relationship, was passed by a voice vote last week.

Moved by Congressman George Holding and supported by Ed Royce, Eliot Engel and Ami Bera, the amendment was incorporated into the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) 2017, that was subsequently passed by the House of Representatives.

It sends a powerful signal to New Delhi that the US is a reliable and dependable defence partner, US India Business Council (USIBC) said in a statement.

"The US-India Business Council strongly supports the amendment and congratulates Congressman Holding on successfully incorporating it into the House of Representatives' National Defence Authorisation Act," said USIBC President Mukesh Aghi.

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"This legislation will promote defence trade between our countries and will strengthen military ties. We look forward to the Senate taking action on similar legislation," he said.

For the US, the legislation encourages the executive branch to designate an official to focus on US-India defence cooperation, facilitate the transfer of defence technology, maintain a special office in the Pentagon dedicated exclusively to the US-India Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI), enhance India's military capabilities in the context of combined military planning and promote co-production/co-development opportunities.

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For India, it encourages the government to authorise combined military planning with the United States for missions of mutual interest such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, counter piracy, and maritime domain awareness.